404-424-8488 • 2784 N. Decatur Rd.
Suite 145, Decatur, GA 30033
404-424-8488 • 2784 N. Decatur Rd.
Suite 145, Decatur, GA 30033
Q: What is your COVID-19 safety policy? Are you offering in-person sessions? Can we wear masks in session? Can we be seen by video?
A: We are currently offering in-person sessions without masks to anyone who is fully vaccinated and symptom-free, and we are also fully vaccinated. We are offering sessions over secure video for anyone who is not vaccinated or who simply prefers video sessions for any reason. We are not currently wearing masks during in-person sessions because we have found that masks prevent us from seeing facial expression shifts that are a crucial part of couples work. Additionally, we find wearing masks hinders our ability to communicate effectively with our clients in the most therapeutic way. Especially for couples therapy, our preference is to meet over video, and if meeting in person, all parties must be completely comfortable assuming the risks associated with meeting fully vaccinated without masks. If any party is not comfortable with this, then we happily provide sessions over video. We also reserve the right to adjust our COVID-19 safety policy in accordance with changing CDC guidelines.
Q: What are your fees for counseling?
A: Our fee structure is as follows, and we accept cash, checks, credit or debit cards, HSA or Flex Spending Accounts:
Q: You mention that you do couples counseling, but you also work with people who are divorcing. If I am having relationship problems, are you going to encourage me to split up or divorce? Or if I want to divorce, are you going to encourage me to stay?
A: Not at all! Our aim is to help you achieve your relationship goal, whether that is to improve the one you have or get out of it in the smoothest way possible, but we will not persuade you in any particular direction. If you are undecided about whether you want to stay or leave, we will help you to gain the clarity you need to make a decision that you feel good about, not based on our agenda.
Q: What if my partner doesn’t want to come in with me for couples counseling?
A: Then you are in luck! We are specifically trained to work with only one of you to help you to make changes that will improve the health of the overall relationship. It is said that it takes two to tango, but in reality, it only takes one to person changing their dance steps to improve how the couple is dancing. And just a word of caution, most individual therapists who are not trained in couples therapy will not be able to do this, and you will me more likely to end up divorced instead. If your partner is unable or unwilling to attend counseling, make sure you are seeing someone who is trained in couples counseling, and someone who knows how to conduct couples counseling with just one partner.
Q: What if my partner DOES want to come in, and I don’t want him/her to?
A: This can play out in more than one way: If you have issues you want to address on your own, 1) you can explain to your partner that you need some time to sort them out before you share them with him/her; or 2) you can both come in for the initial assessment, and we can make separate recommendations for both you and your partner to assist both of you during this time while you are working through things in individual therapy.
Q: But my partner is really the problem. Why should I have to be the one to change?
A: You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do. But if one of you doesn’t do something, your relationship is doing to stay the same at best, or continue to fall apart until it ends. It only takes one person to have the courage to step up to the plate and do something to make a difference in order for things to get better, and it doesn’t matter which one of you that is. If your relationship ultimately fails because neither of you did anything, you will both be responsible. But if it improves because only you were the one willing to have the courage and start the ball rolling, then you get to feel good about rising above it all to have made that happen. That is a very empowering position to take, and to most people, it ends up feeling a lot better than they thought it would!
Q: Why don’t you accept health insurance?
A: We are happy to provide you with a receipt that you can file with your insurance company if our sessions are reimbursable for out of network providers under your plan, but we do not accept insurance payments. There are a few reasons for that. As our client, your privacy is of utmost importance to us. In order for us to bill your insurance, we are required to give you a mental disorder diagnosis. Once you have been given a mental disorder diagnosis, that diagnosis is on your insurance record forever, and this can interfere with your obtaining life or health insurance in the future. Also, if your insurance provider is paying for sessions, they may require that we send them information about what we discuss in sessions to justify why you need more sessions. We have no control over how many sets of eyes will see your confidential information in the process of your insurance company deciding if they will pay for your sessions or not. Also, that leaves the decision of your treatment up to someone who is not even in the counseling room. We prefer to guarantee that your private information remains private, and that you and your therapist are the only ones who are making decisions about the course of your therapy.
Q: What else do I need to know about cost?
A: You have a right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/no surprises.
For other questions, contact us at 404-424-8488 or fill out the contact form.
2784 N. Decatur Rd., Ste. 145, Decatur, GA 30033